Shut up!
Wow!!! I didn't expect the above, maybe this means you hang out in the wrong places or with the wrong people, or MAYBE you just bring out the worst in people. :)
Other than 2 years in Europe while in the military, I've lived my whole life in the vicinity of Los Angeles and I've been lucky enough to never have been forced to pull a firearm on anyone.
Maybe this does mean an armed society is a politer society. I would really love to hear the details from your above confrontations.LOL…Your brown nosing seems to never stop, you must be trying for officer.
Or he’s trying to be ironically funny.
Down here, we’d say he was sucking up to an occifer, which contemplates an aperture for advancement. 
Thing is, I take war to be strictly a political act, following Clausewitz, with the armed forces being strictly anciliary to the politics. For the politicians to give the military an impossible mission - and indeed for the military to accept that mission without severe and clear warnings to the politicians - I regard as incompetence.
Indeed. I’d better not start naming the, as I’d be here all night!
Your just jealous that I got promoted today to Staff Sergeant. One day I will be of equal rank as you; then we can be equal partners in the discussion of war stuff. Anyways, sorry for ragging on this thread (which I created by the way, so you see, I can be useful to the general public)…I was just so excited about my promotion that I had to share it with my friends. Thank You WW2 in Color-Your The best! See you guys on Monday:)
Mate, I bring out the worst in the worst people, and they’re just my children! 
Short version of the main event, which I think I’ve posted previously in more detail somewhere else, is confronting a burglar / prowler at night with my trusty Savage .410 / .22 magnum and thumb cocking the hammer on .410 as I leapt into the only spot where I could shine a torch on the prowler I thought was hiding in the only spot he could be hiding, which he was. I could have killed the poor bastard, and got myself a dozen years with my arse being soaped up in gaol, with a slip on the hammer.
The other ones are even less heroic, but in each case offered the opportunity to direct a slug into the head of someone who richly deserved it, if you think that killing people for seriously pissing you off amounts to deserving to be killed by a jerk with a gun.
As for living in Los Angeles, I’m surprised you haven’t needed to pull your weapon as I thought that the Bloods and Crips were always bustin a cap in the face of yo honkies.
They were warned actually, as “the Pentagon Papers” show, embarrassingly. Politicians were warned early and often. But the war was like a tarpit of “mission creep” ensnaring the US…
Though, that is not to say it was solely the civilian politicians fault. In any case, to claim that the War was the United States’ to win or lose would he the epitome of imperial arrogance. It was to be won or lost by the Vietnamese, and in essence it was won AND lost by both sides! The best interpretation of the confused US mission was only to hold and attrit the NLF/North until the South could be built up enough to withstand them. The VC were almost totally defeated and more or less were a nonfactor by the end. Their was no such mandate regarding the Hanoi gov’t in the North…
Indeed. I’d better not start naming the, as I’d be here all night!
Yeah, and you’d find yourself in Afghanistan, or guarding the Falklands!
Don’t sell yourself short. You’re already MUCH ranker than I am. And I’m pretty rank!
Well, we are as flawed as any clump of humanity might be, but continue to rumble along, a nation never finished, always building, and changing, hopefully never regressing. We do like our beer, although its pretty weak by world standards. (an unfortunate side effect of WW-II ), the gov’t didnt want the troops too well lubed, and the women running the factories didnt like the usual heavies that were traditional to our mostly German based brewing companies. Once the war ended, everyone was pretty much used to the lighter rice, and corn adulterated brews, and its been that way since. though the Micro brewers have resurrected the old heavies, as well as introduced some new and inventive brews. These days Miller Produces around 42 million BBls of beer, and Busch about 68 million BBLs per year.
This may be true, but none of that vast production meets our standards of drinkable.
Okay, if there’s nothing else left after a long night, we’d drink your beer, but we wouldn’t enjoy it,
Trust me, if I was to go wandering around through South Central L.A at night, trouble would find me, its just that I know better and don’t go there.
When I was a rookie Fire Fighter years ago driving to my station at 5 in the morning in that part of the hood, I wouldn’t be caught dead without my 45 on the seat next to me and that advise was given to me by the LAPD.
There are times when the gang banging scum bring crime to the area where I live but I truly believe them not knowing who is and isn’t armed keeps them to their own area for the most part.
Here in the United States if someone is breaking into your house and " YOUR IN FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE" you will have a justified shooting. That’s why God invented screw drivers, im sure the dead bad guy will end up with one in his hand…
On the other hand if you shoot someone in the back while they are running away, you will have problems.
edited to add. P.S. South Central was termed politically un correct by our city leaders…it is now known as South Los Angeles
You wouldn’t be able to taste it at that point!
And that would be an entirely reasonable mission. But for the little minor detail that no serious thought was given to precisely HOW the south would be turned into a functional state capable of defending itself. Oops.
Actually, I believe it is an offence to start slagging the army off in the press under Queens Regs or something similar.
Oh, and rather than Afghanistan or the Falklands I’m probably going to find myself in Medicine Hat in November. The climate has to be worse, but I’m hoping the locals will be at least marginally friendlier.
I, and many other Americans do certainly agree with you I liken American light beers to “spaghetti water” as it tastes about the same as light beer. (just add a sprinkle of moonshine to give it some kick. I think though, that after a long night of robust Ales, and stouts, you would not be able to taste a miller light. (a good thing too, wouldnt want to leave a bad taste in your mouth.)
Now, to take this thread one more step into the mists of weirdness, I give you a man who took the phrase a bit too literally, Mr. Valantino
Someone with the male version of Anorexia, methinks.
Then that was on the South Vietnamese themselves…
Actually, I believe it is an offence to start slagging the army off in the press under Queens Regs or something similar.
Oh, and rather than Afghanistan or the Falklands I’m probably going to find myself in Medicine Hat in November. The climate has to be worse, but I’m hoping the locals will be at least marginally friendlier.
Try the Molsons! You won’t get that in Afghanistan!
Even though their political leadership was clearly incapable of even working towards the type of society needed for this to work? Like I said, incompetence.